KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Officials in the Knox County school system have paid administrative secretary Tina Needham for more than two years while she remains on leave pending an undisclosed legal issue.

Needham was hired in January 2011, but after a series of reprimands for “several conversations” with her co-workers “that were considered offensive,” she was placed on paid administrative leave in July 2012 and has continued to collect a paycheck from the district ever since, WBIR.com reports.

District officials and Needham’s attorney both confirmed the secretary was in the midst of legal negotiations with Knox County, but refused to elaborate on the case when confronted by the television station.

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“We have had some legal issue with Know County, however, due to some confidentiality agreements that are in place, we are not able to comment on the story. There’s of course more to the story than she’s been receiving a paycheck, but I can’t comment on it,” Michael Menefee, Needham’s lawyer, told WBIR.

District spokeswoman Melissa Ogden told the news site that medical privacy laws prohibit district officials from discussing Needham’s leave, and would not explain why she’s on administrative leave, rather than medical leave.

“I think the best way to state it would be that HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations prevent us from providing more detail on Tina Needham’s paid administrative leave,” Ogden said.

“Ogden said Needham was placed on administrative leave with pay on July 1, 2012. The following summer, the school system’s compensation supervisor, in a letter to school officials, said Needham ‘will remain on administrative leave with pay until further notice,’” the news station reports.

Needham, 51, currently receives a $27,555 salary, WBIR reports.

The television station attempted to contact Needham at her East Knox County home, but was unsuccessful.

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Menefee told WBIR that he’s currently in settlement negotiations with the county, which means taxpayers are not only on the hook for two years of pay for a school employee who hasn’t worked, they’ll likely also be forced to foot the bill for her settlement.

Regardless of the reasoning for Needham’s two-year paid vacation, local taxpayers deserve to know what they’re paying for, and why the school secretary wasn’t placed on unpaid medical leave.

Considering that both sides have already agreed to a confidentiality agreement, it seems likely any settlement would also remain private.

That’s just not right, and it provides the latest example of why many parents and taxpayers are growing increasingly wary of school spending priorities and the never-ending call for more education funding.